The marketplace dedicated to bulk food celebrated its first anniversary on September 7th, by exceeding with brio the milestone of 380 grocery shop customers! At the beginning, the project was imagined by two pioneers of bulk, Sébastien Becker, co-founder ofUlterïa, and Gerard BELLET, founder of Jean Bouteille. Today, the platform brings together 3,000 references in various fields, dry food products, beverages, cosmetics, detergents, zero waste accessories... Zoom on this dazzling start, proving that the changes in our consumption patterns are accelerating!
WeBulk was born from our meeting with Ultérïa. As companies that have been historically involved in organic and bulk products for many years, we have a common goal: to structure the bulk market and increase zero waste consumption.
Read more about the history of Webulk in this article .
Behind this platform, a credo: the "3×0" trade: 0 disposable packaging, 0 useless km, 0 food waste!
The aim of WeBulk is to encourage local trade and organic food by facilitating thesupply of small independent grocery shops. To do this, it was necessary to create a link between them and committed producers in the region. The platform meets many challenges.
As far as bulk producers are concerned, the sector is still difficult to access. Indeed, for small suppliers, it is not always easy to make themselves known, to meet retailers and to ship their orders across France. WeBulk is also a tool for producers to access the bulk market. WeBulk is also a tool for producers to access the bulk market, thanks to the promotion of their products on the site, while freeingthem from the task of prospecting grocery shops, internet referencing and logistics.
For their part, zero waste grocery shops lose precious time by multiplying orders from these different producers. In addition, the management and volume of orders in relation to the storage capacities of these small shops did not allow them to benefit from the advantages of the "central purchasing" system well known to manufacturers.
Everything is done to make life easier for zero waste entrepreneurs: 1 order, 1 grouped free shipping, 1 multi-producer delivery. You are a bulk grocer and you want to order on WeBulk too?
Instructions for use below:
1️⃣ Create your account on webulk.bio. You will then be able to see the prices and place your first order.
2️⃣Aglobal free of charge of 480 € is offered to you: the opportunity to discover all the committed producers.
3️⃣ Place your order. Within 3 days, you will receive a single delivery with all your products. Time saved to spend with your customers!
380 grocery shops now trust WeBulk. The platform now includes more than 110 merchants with a total of 3,000 bulk references ranging from dry food to liquid bulk, including cosmetics, detergents and zero waste accessories for the kitchen and bathroom. Enough to eliminate unnecessary packaging from every room in the house! The WeBulk team is very demanding in its selection criteria in order to guarantee a level of quality to the grocery shops that trustthem.
"The suppliers must all becertified or in conversion to organic, environmentally friendly, committed to zero waste and ethically irreproachable. On the site, you can order "national" products known and sought after by consumers, but also regional products from "local" producers."
Here you will find the entire range of Jean Bouteille products, carefully selected, at the same price as our ordering site. We also regularly offer special deals for grocery shops: the latest? The summer barbecue operation on our organic bulk sauces.
The bulk marketplace has not said its last word and intends to continue its expansion by welcoming more and more committed producers and traders. In the short term, WeBulk wants to open a logistic base in the West, then, in the long term, four or five others on the territory. Indeed, if a product from a region is sold locally, it will go back through Burgundy before being delivered. Régis Cao, Managing Director, explains in his interview these prospects for the platform:
"Today, there are still many areas to explore in bulk: technical, marketing, hygiene... Manufacturers are inventing new products, such as solid toothpaste. Jean Bouteille has invented a device for distributing pasty products in bulk, such as jam. And the major retailers and brands are also looking into the "bulkisation" of their products. If the market continues to develop, this will become an issue for them too... Our objective is to create a zero waste supply chain . The principle is to use reusable containers to deliver to grocery shops. Once they have been emptied of their contents, they are cleaned and reused. This year, the team conducted a Hub Vrac experiment in Paris, with Réseau Vrac, a dozen grocery shops and a start-up, Petrel. We are currently evaluating the results, both ecologically and economically. “
After a five-month trial of the Bulk Hub, the approach has shown good potential: the operational and environmental results are both positive; not only does the Bulk Hub system work, but it also represents real environmental added value. The economic model still needs to be optimised, but the feedback from the various players involved is very positive . To be continued!
Our bulk grocery partners testify: for a year now, WeBulk has enabled them to group orders, to restock more often and to discover new committed producers. By reducing the number of intermediaries, they manage their stocks better, save time and consequently reduce waste, packaging and the kilometres required to obtain supplies.
Julie and Laurie - Le bon Endroit Roye
Cindy - O Ptit Vrac in Amboise
Achour - Latitude Vrac in Thouaré sur Loire
